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Pholtus
Pholtus is a deity in the Greyhawk pantheon. Description In the fictional campaign setting of Greyhawk used for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Pholtus was one of the first gods created by Gary Gygax as he and Dave Arneson developed the game of Dungeons & Dragons. Pholtus eventually evolved into Greyhawk's Oeridian god of Light, Resolution, Law, Order, Inflexibility, the Sun, and the Moons, and was also used in the Planescape campaign. His followers are called Pholtans. Appearance Pholtus himself appears as a tall, slender man with pale skin, flowing white hair and bright blue eyes burning with the fires of devotion. He always wears a silky white gown and a cassock trimmed with gold and silver, embroidered with suns and moons. Alignment and personality Lawful Good, Neutral Good Titles and aliases Portfolio Worship Worshippers Worshippers of Pholtus are called Pholtans. Some Pholtans claim that he set the sun and the moon in the sky and maintains them in their rigid procession to show all creatures the One True Way, a strict path which allows no deviation but absolutely assures rightness. Such claims are not regarded as doctrine. The Pholtan church is the state religion of the Theocracy of the Pale, and is the only religion permitted or recognized within that nation. An even more severe Pholtine theocracy exists in the Bandit Kingdom state of Dimre. Pholtus's church is also widespread in Nyrond and the Shield Lands. The faith of Pholtus often conflicts or works at cross purposes with that of Saint Cuthbert, whose alignment is also borderline Lawful Neutral/Lawful Good. Clergy Pholtus's clerics are most active in cities, where they seek to reveal the light to unbelievers. They act as lawyers, judges, and arbiters when they're not preaching about their god. They are never completely without light if they can help it. Magical light is preferred, but a candle or a piece of luminous fungus will serve if no other light is available. Paladins Paladins of Pholtus are known as templars or inquisitors. They consider questions of morality to be secondary to faithfulness to Pholtus and his One True Way. They seek the destruction of chaos, darkness, and evil, in that order. While some individual Pholtan paladins can be as merciful as paladins of Pelor or Heironeous, doubt and mercy are not considered virtues in their tradition, and many believe them to be weaknesses. Pholtan paladins traditionally dress in white and pale yellow tunics of fine linen or silk, with silvery borders decorated with suns and moons or excerpts from Pholtan scripture. The Knights Templar of the Theocracy of the Pale are the most infamous of Pholtus's paladins, combining Pholtan conviction with nationalistic zeal. The Lords of the Gloaming are a group of Pholtan paladins who seek to destroy portals to the Lower Planes of existence. Saint Ceril the Relentless was among their number. Rituals Buildings consecrated to Pholtus are white. Services include many brightly burning candles, long sermons and choruses of the worshippers' anthem, "O Blinding Light": O Blinding Light, O light that blinds, I cannot see, Look out for me! Orders Holy sites The most holy sites for worshippers of Pholtus would be in the church of Pholtus, and the land of the Pale is the most holy, because of the number of active worshippers in the area. Holy days Holy symbol His symbol is a silvery sun with a crescent moon on the lower right quadrant. His colors are white, silver and gold. Favored weapon Relationships Enemies Pholtus has an unfriendly rivalry with Saint Cuthbert and despises the Oeridian wind deities (Atroa, Sotillion, Telchur, Velnius, and Wenta). He is opposed by Trithereon and Xan Yae. Clerics of Norebo particularly enjoy bothering his followers. Allies Pholtus is allied with Heironeous and Pelor. Minions Avatars and proxies Creatures Artifacts Realm History Prehistory Ancient history Recent history Myths and legends Publication history AD&D 1st edition AD&D 2nd edition D&D 3rd edition Creative origins References Category:Greyhawk deities